floatRN

We have 2 options: a high deductible plan or more expensive POS plan. Both options have the same restrictions regarding which hospitals are covered.

I work for a hospital that is part of a large and growing healthcare system consisting of multiple hospitals. Currently, employees have health insurance through a large national health insurance company. We have coverage for any care provided by hospitals within the insurance company's network. We do get a smaller copay if we stay within our healthcare system. Starting in 2019, we will only be covered for care if we stay in a new "custom network." This new network consists of only our healthcare system as well as just a few other hospitals. Three very large nearby hospitals and many smaller community hospitals will not be covered except for life threatening emergencies. I think this is unfair to employees. It also seems very convenient that the uncovered hospitals are our biggest competitors. Does anyone else's employer do this?

I love Call the Midwife.

Can the extra nurse be given an assignment instead? That way each RN has fewer patients but acts as aide and RN for some of those patients? That was done occasionally where I work and it worked out ok.

At the hospital I currently work for, it is common to have one RN alone on a unit when the census is low. This RN would have 6-7 med-surg/tele patients. There is one CNA on the unit with her. Sometimes there is a secretary but not always. The nurse and tech have to call another unit in the hospital to request one of their staff to come cover breaks or to come do narcotic wastes etc. This is a burden on that unit to have one of their nurses be off the unit for 30 minutes to cover a meal break. I am an experienced nurse and am capable of caring for my patients. However, when I am in a patient's room, there is no one watching the telemetry monitors, I am the only one who can respond to a telemetry alarm. If I am in the middle of a dressing change or doing an IV, or if I am gowned up in a precaution room, I can't get out to check the monitors immediately. If both the tech and I are toileting or bathing a total care patient together, we can't respond immediately to a bed alarm or call bells. I have to rely on the secretary to stop fall risk patients from climbing out of bed. If we even have a secretary. I feel like this a dangerous situation. However, it has been going on for a long time and no managers seem to think there is anything wrong with it. Does anyone else have a similar situation where they work? Its this normal?

It took a full year before I started to feel comfortable with it. Now after 3 years, I am just starting to get the more difficult ones.

5:1 on days but usually only one tech for 3-4 nurses.

That doesn't sound fair. Everywhere I have worked Christmas day was the holiday. If you worked Christmas, you were off Christmas Eve. If you were off Christmas, you worked Christmas Eve. Every year it rotated. The holiday rotation would trump the weekend rotation. So even though the 25th and 26th is my weekend off, it is my turn to work Christmas so I have to work it.

I usually write them on the dry erase board in the room or I get an extra pen and leave it in the room and write vitals on a paper towel.

I try to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night, get a massage a couple times a year, go for walks or do pilates on days off, eat healthy, bring my own lunch to work so I dont buy junk in the cafeteria. I work 3 12's a week and rarely pick up extra time.

When EMS arrived, wouldn't they have asked why they were called? Doesn't EMS also give a report when they arrive at the emergency room? If one of the nurses reported the fall to the paramedics that did the transfer and they didn't pass that on when arriving to the ER, aren't they partially at fault?

What is a G tag? Is that a name bracelet? Anyway, don't beat yourself up about it. We have all made a mistake. We are only human. The patient wasn't harmed and you did the right thing, admitted your mistake, called the doctor. I doubt you would have trouble from the BON about that although I'm not an expert in that area. I'm sorry your manager is giving you a hard time over it. They will discourage other nurses from owning up to their mistakes by treating you harshly which isn't good. I'm sure this will make you even more careful in the future and you won't make the same mistake again.

I have seen alot of nurses texting at work. They will leave their personal cell phones right on their med carts and will text standing in the hallway where everyone can see. It looks very bad and unprofessional both to other staff and to patients and visitors. My managaer has sent emails saying it will not be tolerated but no one is enforcing it. No one really uses the computer for facebook etc at work because most sites like that are blocked. I have seen people on facebook on their phones though. It drives me crazy.

Maybe you are hungry and need to have a snack mid morning and mid afternoon. Maybe you are not getting enough sleep the night before. Do you wear your stethescope around your neck all day? I found that was giving me neck and shoulder pain, so I try not to wear mine all day. Have you had your eyesight checked? Maybe you are straining to see the computer? Just a few thoughts. Hope it gets better.

I have known nurses who worked 2 8 hour shifts and 2 12 hours shifts a week for a total of 40 hours.